The Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Finance at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Isaac Boadi, has questioned the appropriateness of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s recent comments praising the performance of public institutions under the current administration.
Prof Boadi said the Chief Justice occupies a critical position in Ghana’s constitutional democracy and must therefore be seen as a symbol of neutrality and impartiality.
His comments follow remarks by the Chief Justice during a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2, where he commended the performance of MIIF and other public institutions.
The Chief Justice reportedly said some of the developments he had witnessed during his engagements with public institutions had left him wondering what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.
However, speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on Friday, September 4, Prof Boadi expressed concern about the nature of the remarks, particularly given the constitutional position occupied by the Chief Justice.
“I think that in a constitutional democracy, the role of the CJ is very important. Because he is the ultimate embodiment of neutrality, that’s what I think,” he said.
Prof Boadi argued that the Chief Justice’s praise of the institutions he visited could create the perception that he was endorsing government performance rather than maintaining the detached position expected of the head of the Judiciary.
“But when it happens this way, per what I saw or read, it is becoming more of a cheerleader of government statistics,” he said.
He described the Chief Justice’s remarks as those of a “cheerleader”, particularly because of the positive appraisal given to the institutions visited.
Calls for a balanced assessment
Prof Boadi said his concern was not necessarily that the Chief Justice had acknowledged improvements at some public institutions, but that his assessment appeared to focus heavily on entities that had recorded positive outcomes.
He noted that reports from various state institutions showed mixed performance, with some doing well while others continued to struggle.
“Majority of these institutions, if you even allow the aggregate figure to lie and go to other state institutions, some of them have not performed well.”
According to Prof Boadi, a more balanced approach would have involved the Chief Justice engaging institutions that were also recording losses or facing operational difficulties.
He argued that such engagements would have provided a broader picture of the performance of state institutions and avoided the perception that the Judiciary was endorsing the government’s economic narrative.
“My point is that he could have probably gone to those institutions,” Prof Boadi said.
He acknowledged that the Chief Justice may have been speaking based on what he observed during his visits but suggested that the timing and setting of the remarks could have been better considered.
“He spoke the fact at the wrong place,” Prof Boadi said. “For me, he could have probably balanced the two. He could have gone to those institutions that also make losses and give a fair comment on that.”
Prof Boadi stressed that while public officials and institutions may acknowledge positive developments, the head of the Judiciary occupies a particularly sensitive position because the Judiciary is constitutionally expected to operate independently of the Executive and other arms of government.
For him, maintaining that perception of neutrality is essential to preserving public confidence in the judicial system.
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